Love Island star Demi Jones made her first television appearance since her thyroid cancer diagnosis on Tuesday morning.
The brave 22-year-old reality star told Good Morning Britain hosts Susanna Reid and Bill Turnbull that she first found the lump in her neck back in 2019.
She explained that her hospital appointments were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic but she has since undergone surgery to remove the tumour.
Last month, Demi had an operation to have the “golf ball” sized lump on her neck removed after doctors warned her it could be “potentially cancerous”.
Speaking about her cancer diagnosis on the ITV breakfast show, Demi said: “It’s been hard to process but I’m OK which is the man thing.
“My appointment kept getting moved and I was thinking about going private.
“My step-dad has got cancer so I know because of him that I needed to do more..”
Demi went on to add that she first noticed the lump in her neck in 2019 and results came back clear when she first got tested.
However, extra-testing revealed the tumour.
She told Susanna and Bill: “If I hadn’t asked for extra testing I wouldn’t have found out I had it.
“I’ve got to go on this journey now. I want to raise awareness for young girls.
“I’ve had amazing support and messages from young girls saying they’ve booked an appointment.”
(Image: INSTAGRAM)
Demi was later quizzed about online trolling and the influencer revealed that she’s been accused of lying about her diagnosis by sick social media users.
“I’m really lucky in that I haven’t experienced a lot of trolling. I’ve been really lucky coming out of the villa. But there is still people like that…
“Even with my cancer, there were still nasty comments and things like that.”
Stunned, Bill exclaimed: “Really?!”
Demi responded: “Saying, ‘Oh, she’s lying, she’s that’. And I just woke up and looked at Instagram and thought, ‘That’s ridiculous.’
“Unfortunately there are people out there like that.”
Astounded, Susanna replied: “For people to say that you’re lying about your cancer – how do you respond to that?”
“I never respond to anything,” Demi replied. “I never respond to trolling on social media, it’s not worth my time. I’me really strong about it anyway. I’ve always been like that.
“But it makes me sad – I’m not lying about this at all. It’s a really serious thing – I don’t want to be going through this.”
(Image: Instagram)
ITV viewers rushed to their keyboards to praise Demi for her honesty during the television interview.
Taking to Twitter, one fan penned: “Just seen @Demi_Jones1 on @GMB and what a lovely person she seems.”
Another added: “Oh @Demi_Jones1, such a brave and courageous girl! Good luck on your journey.”
A third person posted: “Well done Demi.”
Like what you see? Then fill your boots…
There’s MUCH more where that came from! Want all the jaw-dropping stories from the world of showbiz and up to the minute news from TV and soaps?
Well, we’ve got you covered with our showbiz, TV and soaps newsletters – they’ll drop straight into your inbox and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.
We’ll bring you the inside track from telly expert Ed Gleave and soap specialist Sasha Morris. Oh, and your daily fix of Piers, Katie Price, Demi Rose and all your other Daily Star favs.
You can sign up here – you won’t regret it…
Confirming the heartbreaking news on social media on Thursday last week, Demi penned: “Hi guys, I got my results today and unfortunately I have Thyroid cancer.
“The tumour has been removed by I’m now due to have more surgery to remove the rest of my Thyroid.”
Demi bravely continued: “I’m staying very positive and I’m a strong girl so I’ll be fine, thank you for your love and support always. I’ll bounce back stronger.”
She added: “Check your lumps.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV at 6am
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
